Chapter 32 St Maria's hospital
Wade's POV
Immediately Lily collapsed to the floor, I felt an extraordinary strength surge through me. I removed the syringes from my body and raced towards her.
“What's wrong?” I asked, holding her but she kept crying
Mia ran to her already, clutching her hands and begging her to stop crying.
“Crying wouldn't change anything Lily. Speak up, what happened?” Dad asked looking very worried
I nodded in agreement with what he said and patted her gently.
“Calm down Lily, What happened? Talk to us” I persuaded her
She nodded gently and wiped her tears.
She tried controlling her tees but it kept rolling uncontrollably.
“My mum…. Mum..”she stammered
“What happened?”
“She fell of the staircase and collapsed” she continued, sniffing
“That shouldn't be enough reason why you want to cry out your eyes lily, she'll be fine after some dose of anaesthesia.” Dad tried to reassure her but he shook her head and tried speaking but her tears choked her.
“Calm down” I whispered into her ears and she nodded then took a deep breath.
“Her blindness has worsened and if a surgery is not performed, she'll be permanently blind.” Lily said
“Okay?” Dad asked
“You don't understand Sir, we don't have the money. We would never have the money” Lily said and burst out crying
I hugged her tightly letting the tears soak my clothes.
“Pull yourself together Lily, we'll go see her at the hospital now” Dad said but Lily shook her head again.
“There's no need sir, I'm scared of seeing what she's become, I'm scared of looking at her helplessly. That's the last thing I'd want to see” Lily said
Tears were rolling down Mia's eyes already. She held Lily's hand tightly and spoke shakily
“Don't worry, Your mum will be fine”
Lily looked at her helplessly.
“Stand up. We are going to see your mother” Dad ordered and everywhere became silent.
Lily wiped her tears instantly and stood up, folding her hands at her back.
“Dad, I'm coming with you guys. I can't stay here” I spoke suddenly and everyone turned to me
“You don't have to. The doctor said you needed rest” Lily whispered
“Staying here alone knowing how broken you are would only stress me more. Being with you reduces all pressure” I replied confidently and she lowered her eyes.
After some hesitation, Dad called in the doctor who confirmed that I was good to go and that I should avoid stress at all cost and take my drugs as prescribed.
A few minutes later, we were off to the St Maria's hospital which was an hour drive.
When we reached, I noticed Mia's face tighten with fear. I rubbed her hands gently and whispered into her ears “it's okay, I'm here”
She nodded slowly and I saw her eyes relax a little bit
“Promise you'll never leave?” Her voice cracked
“I promise” I assured her
St Maria's hospital was not exactly what I expected it to be.
It was very old and dilapidated, owned by a small Catholic church just beside it.
The thick scent of antiseptic that was supposed to make the place manageable struck my nose and turned my stomach upside down.
“I need to use the toilet” I announced
“Trust me, you don't wanna enter their toilet.” Lily said pointing towards a near bush “You can ease yourself over there” she said
“Okay” I replied hastily and hurried off to the bush
I moved farther and made sure I was out of sight then I vomited twice and rinsed my mouth with some gulps of water from my water bottle.
I washed my face and wiped it with my handkerchief making sure that the redness of my face was not noticed.
If dad knew about this, he'd surely send me back to the hospital but I can't bear to see Lily so broken. She needs me, so do I for she is my happiness.
I walked back to where the trio stood waiting patiently for me.
“Why was your mum brought to this old hospital?” I heard Mia ask, her face looking so confused
“We have no money for a better hospital” Lily said almost in a whisper
“You wasted a lot of time” Dad asked me as I approached, furrowing his brows
“Oh! Something caught my eye. I apologize for keeping us waiting” I replied quickly
Dad looked at me and my heart pounded.
“Come on guys, let's get going” he said and removed his eyes from me.
I heaved a sigh of relief and followed suit as they walked into the hospital.
Lily slowed down and whispered to me
“Are you okay?”
“Ofcourse, I'm fine”
“Wade, you're not okay. Why did you insist on coming? Do you want to pass out again and give me more reasons to panic?”
“I can't pass out when I'm with you, my eyes can't bear a minute without seeing your face” I replied smiling
The receptionist recognized Lily immediately as the school girl who always brought her blind mum for checkups and directed us to her mum's room.
Dad stayed back conversing with the lady on God knows what.
I, Lily and Mia followed the nurse’s direction and headed towards her room. Lily's mum looked familiar, like someone I'd seen in a trance but I dismissed the thought.
“Mum!” Lily ran to her mother who laid motionless on the bed, her eyes tightly closed.
“Mum, can you hear me? It's Lily, your daughter” She sobbed on her mum's hands
The sight of her crying broke me into two and I walked up to her and placed my hands round her shoulders.
“It's okay Lily, your mum can hear you and the only thing she wants from you is strength not weakness. She doesn't want you crying, being weak and feeble, she knows you are strong and wants you to remain so no matter what happens” I said gently
She lifted her head up and rested it on my shoulders, sobbing while I stroked her hair gently.
Mia walked slowly towards us and patted Lily's back.
“Don't cry, Aunties don't cry” her voice tried to sound strong but there was a noticeable crack in it.
Then Dasmd entered and everywhere turned cold suddenly.
“A muffled gasp escaped his mouth and everyone turned back.
“Theresa” Dad muttered slowly in shock
I noticed his hands quiver as he walked up towards the woman lying on the bee and clutched her hands so tightly that we feared he might cry like a baby.
“Theresa!!” He bent his head on the bed and I knew he was sobbing quietly
“You know my mum?” Lily asked standing up
He ignored her and kept rubbing her hands calling her name countlessly.
“Ga..m..bino” Theresa's lips moved and Lily screamed
“Mum! You're awake? It's me Lily” she cried then began to call for the doctor
“It's me Theresa, it's Gambino” Dad said, his voice breaking
“Gambino? Gambino?” Theresa almost screamed, stretching her hands to feel Dad's face.
Dad moved closer to her and let her examine his whole features.
“Gambino, where have you been all this while? Where?” She cried, and opened her whitish eyes
“Mum, Do you know him?? Mum?” Lily asked, looking so lost and curious to know more.
“Don't tell me, mum, don't tell me it was him that abandoned us years ago,...” Lily said
“My daughter–” Her mum tried speaking with difficulty but Lily closed her ears
“Don't!” She screamed and ran out of the room.
I stood very confused and lost.